Chapter 71 - Liangzhou Prefecture Branch

Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu walked and talked about the secrets of the past. Having left Liangzhou City for a while, they were now in the desolate wilderness.

As dusk approached, Yang Lu looked around and guided her horse onto a small path.

After a while on the path, they soon saw a simple hut built against the mountain. Yang Lu turned to Baili Gucheng and noticed the man beside her was also looking at her.

He nodded and said, "We've arrived at the Liangzhou Prefecture branch."

They dismounted, and Yang Lu went up to knock on the door.

Soon, the door opened slightly, revealing half a face that looked at Yang Lu warily and asked, "Who is there? What is the purpose of your visit?"

Without answering, Yang Lu merely withdrew a token. The token was made of neither metal nor wood but smooth all over.

One side was engraved with a fierce ghost holding the character 'heaven' in its mouth. The other side was engraved with intricate patterns and the title 'Alluring Elegy.'

Seeing the token, the gatekeeper quickly opened the door and bowed to Yang Lu.

Yang Lu stepped aside to reveal Baili Gucheng behind her. When the gatekeeper saw the snowy-white hair, his expression changed immediately. His eyes widened, and he instinctively took several steps back. Teeth chattering, he stammered, "You are... Impending Sword?!"

Baili Gucheng followed Yang Lu in, pushed the door open, and entered. Upon hearing someone identify him, he merely glanced over, nodded, and moved on.

"Wait! You... you aren't..." The gatekeeper was somewhat incoherent.

"Are you surprised to be alive?" Yang Lu turned around, saw the gatekeeper's expression, and covered her mouth with a light laugh and said, "Don't worry, he doesn't have that problem today~"

Baili Gucheng's brow furrowed slightly, and he gave the gatekeeper a sharp look.

Realizing he had said too much, the gatekeeper quickly lowered his head and bowed to Baili Gucheng. He led the way, saying, "In that case, please follow me."

Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu followed the gatekeeper into the inner room. After some fiddling, a wall in the inner room slid open, revealing a pitch-black passage with a faint light visible deep within.

"The entrance needs to be guarded," the gatekeeper said, standing by the dark door and gesturing toward the passage, "I will leave you here. There will be guides inside."

Baili Gucheng remained silent. Hearing the gatekeeper's words, he strolled down the dark passage. Yang Lu thanked the gatekeeper and then followed after Impending Sword.

The passage was long, and although not wholly dark, just that visibility was limited.

Yang Lu noticed that Baili Gucheng was continuously looking around the passage and couldn't help but ask, "Is this your first time here?"

"

Huh?

"

Impending Sword was momentarily stunned and turned to look at the woman beside him.

The passage was narrow, and they were close enough that their shoulders brushed against each other.

As the woman spoke, a graceful scent blew against Baili Gucheng's face, causing him to feel slightly flustered.

Yang Lu had removed her veil at some point and stared at him with eyes as clear as a spring pool. Even in the dim passage, her captivating beauty shone.

"I’m talking to you~" Yang Lu lightly nudged Baili Gucheng. "What are you thinking about?"

"

Uh

, nothing." Baili Gucheng turned back, acting nonchalantly and said, "Yes, it is indeed my first time here."

"I guessed so...

heh

, with your infamy, who would dare let you in?" Yang Lu teased him with a knowing look, "You really are one of a kind... You are undoubtedly part of the Ghostbane Association, but you haven’t even been to your nearest branch."

"

Mm.

" Baili Gucheng wasn't upset at her observation, merely nodding. He said, "Previously, anything that needed to be done was handled by an assigned messenger... It’s a tough job.

"No one wants to come and see a jinx like me. The Gobi Desert spans nearly the entire distance from Liangzhou to where I stay."

Hearing his description, Yang Lu couldn't help but laugh, "

Heh

... so you know that people consider you a jinx?"

Just ahead, light flooded the passage, they had reached the exit of the passage.

Torches illuminated the exit of the passage, and guards were present. Yang Lu revealed her token again and they were able to pass without any obstruction.

A guard opened the door at the exit for them, and the narrow passageway suddenly opened up.

Behind the door was a vast space. The Liangzhou Prefecture branch had hollowed out the entire mountain to serve as its base. Looking up, there was no ceiling visible, only darkness. Several buildings were even inside the hollowed-out mountain, the tallest of which was four stories high.

Inside the branch, individuals frequently moved from one building to another. They hurried along, not engaging in conversation. Each busy with their own matters, the branch headquarters were eerily quiet.

Since they were traveling together, Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu stood out. Occasionally, people looked at them curiously as they passed, but no one approached to say anything.

Influenced by the atmosphere, they both fell silent and walked quietly to a building with a sign that denoted it as the Secretariat Pavilion. This was where the Ghostbane Association records were kept.

On the first floor, a steward sat at a desk. Seeing Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu enter, he quickly put down his brush and asked, "Who are you? What brings you to the Secretariat Pavilion?"

Yang Lu walked over, threw the token on the desk, and said, "I need to check on someone. Can you assist me?"

The steward examined the token more closely, saw the character "heaven," and quickly handed it back to Yang Lu, saying, "Of course, of course. What would you like to look up? I will fetch it for you."

"

Mm

..." Yang Lu propped her chin and thought for a moment. "Please check on an assassin from the Ghostbane Association named Stormqueller."

"Stormqueller?" The steward was taken aback by the title.

"Mm?" Baili Gucheng turned to look at the steward, "What? Do you know him?"

The steward nodded, "Yes, I heard about him recently."

"Then where is he now?" Baili Gucheng continued to ask.

"Where is he?" The steward chuckled lightly. "Who knows? He’s either imprisoned by the Imperial Guardian or dead and staying with the King of Hell."

Baili Gucheng's brow furrowed severely. "What do you mean by that?"

"Haven't you heard?" The steward looked at Baili Gucheng in surprise and explained, "Stormqueller did something big a few months ago.

"He single-handedly wiped out the Yingtian Prefecture branch and then vanished. The Ghostbane Association's entire organization couldn’t find him despite a manhunt.

"Later, he somehow ended up on the imperial fugitive list... It’s rumored that the Imperial Guardians eventually found and captured him."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lu couldn’t help but look at Baili Gucheng, finding him deep in thought.

"So... what should we do now?" Yang Lu hesitated and asked softly.

"It’s fine. If he can’t be found, then so be it," Baili Gucheng replied, his face calm and unreadable. "Let’s go. We still need to go to the capital, and the people who need to be killed still need to be dealt with."

"And... Stormqueller?" Yang Lu seemed slightly worried. "He’s your friend, right?"

"

Mm...

" Impending Sword nodded and turned to walk outside. "Don’t worry about him. The mere Imperial Guardians can’t catch him... he definitely won't die either."